PAULA POUNDSTONE

Paula Poundstone is known for her smart, observational humor and a spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend. Time magazine, in its March 2020 “Best of” issue, listed Paula’s HBO special Cats, Cops and Stuff as one of the "5 Funniest Stand-Up Specials Ever."

Paula can be heard weekly as the host of the comedy podcast Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone and as a regular panelist on NPR’s comedy news quiz Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!

Also an author, Paula’s second book, The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness (Algonquin, 2017), was one of eight semi-finalists for the Thurber Prize for American Humor—the highest recognition of the art of humor writing in the United States. The audiobook was one of five finalists for the Audiobook of the Year Audie Award.

Paula was the first female comic, in the White House Correspondents' Dinner’s then-73-year history, to perform at the event. She was also the first female stand-up, in the Cable ACE Awards' fifth year, to win the award for Best Comedy Special on cable television.

She is included in countless lists, documentaries, and literary compendiums recognizing the most influential stand-up comedians of our time.